Recognise the moo
Have you ever had the feeling that a cow was greeting you when she moos in your direction from the field? In the Cow Language Quiz, created by linguist Leonie Cornips (connected to the Meertens Institute and the UM), you can test how well you really understand cow mooing. Twelve cow sounds, for which the question is always: what is the animal trying to say with this?
A low, powerful ‘moo’: does the cow want to be milked, is she feeling lonely, or is she perhaps scared? In her research, Cornips tries to determine which sounds the animals use in specific situations. Apparently, she had already succeeded for the mooing in the quiz, because at the end the correct answers will be given. Helpful, because maybe next time you may be able to determine whether the mooing cow in the field is really greeting you, or that she just wanted to let you know she's not a-moo-sed.
An expensive prize
Last week, the Maastricht Executive Board was awarded a prize, but the question is whether they will be proud to flaunt it. During the ‘true opening’ of the academic year, organised by, among others, protest group WOinActie and the AOb union, a few ‘penny awards’ were handed out. The UM received the prize for ‘most expensive Executive Board’: of all Dutch universities, Maastricht managers on average receive the highest salary.
“That could be correct, because two board members were appointed when the higher maximum income for managers still applied,” says the spokesperson for the Executive Board. “They come under the legal transitional arrangement, which means that the reward will decrease to the current maximum (€ 209,000 according to the Standardisation of Top Incomes Act, ed.). So, this is a temporary effect.” With the imminent departure of Martin Paul, it only applies to Nick Bos.
Not that it is necessarily the campaigners’ aim to reduce those costs, AOb board member Marijtje Jongsma says. “Compared to other sectors, these aren’t ridiculous salaries. But we do expect such well-paid managers to protect their employees against the (consequences) of the structural underfunding of the university. If that doesn’t happen, such a board member should try a little harder for their staff.”
The fact that rector Rianne Letschert recently announced in de Volkskrant that she would join WOinActie if the new cabinet didn’t free up an additional billion euro for higher education, is definitely a nice gesture. “She is more than welcome to join our protest group.”
Student in your home
With the return to in-person education, the rooms shortage in many student cities is erupting with vehemence. It is forcing universities to think creatively. Campsites with tents, hotels, vacant prisons: suddenly they are all attractive locations for temporary student housing.
Rector Wim van de Donk from Tilburg, however, sees another option: the solidarity of his fellow citizens. He has appealed to Tilburgers to give a student a room. “Tilburg has always been a hospitable city and that is why Tilburg University is appealing to its inhabitants to help a student, where possible,” he states on the website Tilburgers.nl.